Automation without Organizational Development won't do (Employee Participation in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises Assists in Finding the Successful Decision for the Appropriate Proportion of Automation)

Abstract The paper shows some typical problems in the automation approach of small to medium-sized enterprises (SME's). Following an introduction into the publicly founded project "PlaNet Ruhr", it describes two case studies from the old German industry region of the "Ruhrgebiet". These examples show how employees can be integrated in the design process and how they help to find appropriate solutions for automation in SME's. The paper ends with some conclusions that are to be drawn from these two examples and from similar ones